The WHO is Accountable Act would block federal funds from being used to seek U.S. membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) or to provide assessed or voluntary contributions to the WHO until the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that the WHO has met a set of eight specified conditions. The conditions cover governance reforms, independence from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), transparency, and policy positions. Notably, the bill requires the WHO to grant observer status to Taiwan, to avoid diverting aid to certain countries, and to cease engagement on several controversial issues outside the WHO’s core health mandate (including items related to gender identity, climate change, and abortion). It also requires that any future WHO directives cannot be binding on U.S. citizens or U.S. states. The act is introduced in the Senate and would apply to funds across federal departments and agencies, with certification acting as the gatekeeper to unlock funding.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on funding: No funds may be used to seek U.S. membership in the WHO or to provide WHO contributions until the Secretary of State certifies that certain conditions are met.
- 2Certification trigger: The Secretary of State must certify to Congress that the WHO meets all conditions described in subsection (b) before U.S. funds can be used for membership or contributions.
- 3Eight conditions the WHO must meet (non-exhaustive summary):
- 4Legal framework for funding: The bill states the prohibition is notwithstanding any other law, meaning it supersedes other funding provisions unless and until the certification is made.
- 5Scope and status: Introduced in the Senate (S. 774) during the 119th Congress by Senators Blackburn (and co-sponsors Barrasso, Scott of Florida, and Cruz); referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.